Beginning in December 2022, the only road connecting Armenia with the encircled enclave of Artsakh (aka Nagorno-Karabakh) has been under a blockade that has resulted in widespread shortages of vital necessities including food, medicine, and fuel. The obstruction of this vital road – the Lachin Corridor – is an ongoing human rights emergency that threatens the safety and security of the entire region. Given the urgency of this situation and the risks this manufactured crisis has for escalation into more extreme policies of violent persecution and genocide, the editors of Genocide Studies International, published by the University of Toronto Press and sponsored by the Zoryan Institute, have commissioned a special edition of the journal to directly address what is currently happening on the ground. Comprised of contributions from international experts on the region, this issue is intended to raise awareness of this ongoing crisis and to provide critical insight into the risks this blockade poses to the more than 120,000 ethnic Armenian inhabitants of Artsakh and for the peace and security of the entire region. It is also hoped that this timely issue will highlight the need for international pressure and intervention in order to prevent a potential genocide and to hold the Republic of Azerbaijan accountable for its present violations of international law, most recently the February 2023 decision by the ICJ requiring guaranteed freedom of movement through the Lachin Corridor. This special edition of Genocide Studies International will be available in the Summer 2023.
The Editors of Genocide Studies International
Alex Alvarez
Adam Muller
Jennifer Rich
Henry Theriault
